PARADIGM'S BACK IN THE RING WITH A NEW VERSIONI review stuff. Manufacturers have a rightto be wary of people like me. And, when Iask for a surround receiver, the first thingthey ask me is, "What speakers will yoube using with it?" I tell them, "ParadigmReference Studio 20's." The sighs of relief atthe other end of the phone line are almostaudible. More often than not, I get what Iask for.

The Studio 20's have been the mainstayof my reference system for years, when Ireviewed them for AudioVideo Interiors,pronounced them "close to ideal as referencespeakers," and thereupon adopted them.Since then, they have put countless receiversthrough their paces (and during off hours,have kept my soul alive with an intravenousdrip of music).

So, imagine the excitement—not tomention the trepidation—I felt when I sawthe Studio 20's latest iteration unveiled at atrade show last fall. I use an earlier versionso I've already missed a whole generationof progress. Of course, I had to try them.

JUMBO SATELLITEOnce Paradigm's top line, the StudioSeries has since taken second place to theSignature Series. The Studio 20 has alwaysbeen the baby of the Studio family. Althoughit is large enough and has enough bassresponse to run without a subwoofer, itfunctions as a satellite in most systems.

At 15 inches (38.1 cm) tall, this version hasgained a half-inch,although, at 21-1/2pounds (9.8 kg), it'salso 1-1/2 pounds(0.68 kg) lighter.Starting with the lastversion of this speaker,Paradigm's sensitivityratings improved from86 to 87 dB, or from 90 to91 dB when rated at roomefficiency. That might be amodest concession to greaterpower demands on receivers.When the first Studio 20 cameout, receivers had to power onlyfive speakers, but now theysometimes huff and puff topower up to seven.

The main changes in thisversion are in the drivers. An aluminum tweeter hasalways delivered highfrequencies in theStudio 20, but it'sbeen a different onein each generation. Thelatest one is a gold-anodizedpure-aluminum dome—Paradigm calls it G-PAL, that hails from the higher-endSignature line. Perhaps more significant isthe new woofer, a 7-inch satin-anodizedpure-aluminum (S-PAL) cone that's thinnerand stiffer—potentially meaning more

S T U D I O 2 0reviewP R O D U C T

Reprinted with permission from

w w w. h o m e t h e a t e r m a g . c o m

b y M a r k F l e i s c h m a n n

“… cleaner, airier highs … seemed to bring me a row or two closer to thesopranos … delivered the baritonesmore accurately … injected more airinto the soundfield … nice balance of specificity and space … harmonicrichness …”

— and you’ll never want to go back.

“A TRUE TASTE OF THE HIGH END

”

… stunning …

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pistonic—than the former mica-polymer cone.In the center of the woofer is a phase plug thatlooks like the nose of a gold-plated aircraft.

I was also struck by the new (to me) enclosure.The tweeter has moved one inch (25 mm)closer to the top of the enclosure, from 2-1/2inches to 1-1/2 inches (63.5 mm – 38.1 mm).The top of the former rectangular solid nowhas an arched curve, and there's an extra bulgebehind the tweeter. The die-cast aluminumchassis that surrounds and holds the driversis 0.125 inches (3.18 mm) thicker, and it'scarefully ventilated to cool the voice coil. Also,the port has moved from the rear of theenclosure to the front, beneath the woofer.

The impact of these changes on the sound isfar from subtle. I heard the differences imme-diately, even before the speakers had a chanceto break in. The new tweeter arrangement'seffect was audible as cleaner, airier highs,perhaps also due in part to a diminishmentof cabinet diffraction. With the new woofermaterial and port placement, the aggressiveupper bass took a step closer to neutrality.After years of living with the earlier version,I had plugged the ports with foam to reducethe bass bulge. This version needed no suchadjustment.

FIVE IDENTICAL SPEAKERS AND NOTHING ELSE I reviewed the Paradigm Reference Studio 20'sin a matched set of five. Although I rarely getto review identically matched speakers, I preferthis setup because I find that it makes for amore seamless soundfield. But, if you insiston a horizontal center, the Studio CC-590 isthe speaker for you. It replaces the CC-570and has two 7-inch (178 mm) mineral-filledpolypropylene cones, a 4-1/2-inch (115 mm)satin-anodized aluminum midrange driver,and a 1-inch (25 mm) gold-anodizedaluminum dome tweeter.

Another unusual departure was my decisionto review these speakers without a sub. Thatwasn't my original intent, but the speakerswere so satisfying when I played them full-range that I had to go with my gut. If youchoose to use a sub, Paradigm recommendsthe Seismic 10 or Servo-15.

Other members of my reference system familywere as eager to try the new Studio 20's as Iwas. My A/V receiver is the five-channel RotelRSX-1065. (The more recent seven-channelequivalent is the RSX-1067.) My main signalsource is Integra's DPS-10.5 disc player, whichfeeds a multichannel analog output of

unimpeachable quality to the Rotel. I usedMonster M1.4S speaker cables, biwired, forthe front channels and Monster M1.2Sspeaker cables for the surrounds.

“Some manufacturers simply turnover their model lines. Paradigmmakes theirs better …”

Recent pillaging at Tower's going out-of-business sale turned up one of the best choral and orchestral recordings I'veever heard: René Jacobs conducting theRIAS-Kammerchor and the FreiburgerBarockorchester in Haydn's The Seasons.Having finally overcome my aversion toclassical vocal music, I've tried a lot ofHaydn's and Bach's choral works recently,but none has the perfect clarity and balanceof this Harmonia Munchi CD set. Clear butnot bright, acoustically rich but not reverbheavy, it's changed my listening and buyinghabits. The Studio 20's seemed to bring me a row or two closer to the sopranos (but itdidn't hurt a bit) and delivered the baritonesmore accurately (they were less chesty).

I was initially afraid that Augustin Dumay'sviolin would fry the tweeters in his cycle ofBeethoven's Complete Violin Sonatas withpianist Maria João Pires. There were indeedmoments when his often harsh intonationslashed the air, but the tweeters also injectedmore air into the soundfield than I hadpreviously heard with the earlier version of this speaker. This was the moment I waswaiting for—the first intimation that the newStudio 20 might become my new referencespeakers. Incidentally, Deutsche Grammophonsells this three-disc set in a bad specimen ofthe newly popular and economical wallet-stylepackaging. The discs fit so tightly into thewallet that the slightest piece of grit wouldinduce scratching. I placed the discs in softsleeves before I shelved the wallet.

Classical crossover artists are few, far between,and frequently annoying, but I can't imagineanyone not loving Gabriela Montero's Bocliand Beyond. The youthful, glamorous pianiststates, then eloquently wanders away from, themaster's great melodies in a way that evokesKeith Jarrett, but without his trying foraysinto dissonance and repetition. Montero'simprovisations are imaginative, not hokey.The EMI Classics recording takes full advan-tage of her virtuosity with a nice balance ofspecificity and space, and the Studio 20's

delivered on their potential, with moreharmonic richness in the right hand than I recalled from their predecessors.

Pour Down Like Silver by Richard and LindaThompson is an album that's always thrilledme to the marrow, even as it's frustrated mewith its elusive, reticent, midrange and airlesshighs. The new Island Remasters CD is some-what more intelligible than the original Britishvinyl, but it's otherwise not much improvedover Carthage's initial U.S. CD release. Whatmade me pull out my wallet were the fourbonus tracks, including previously unreleasedlive versions of "Streets of Paradise" and "Beatthe Retreat" that must have hit stage and studioalmost simultaneously. They're agreeably rawand immediate. In the astoundingly emotionalcover of "Dark End of the Street," the Studio20's kept the low-recorded acoustic guitar fromdisappearing beneath the luminous vocals.They didn't need a sub to punch through theworld-class rhythm section on the extendedlive version of "Night Comes In."

“… Studio 20 always had a winning way with brass — singingnot stinging — this new version iseven better — more detail … brasssection did indeed seem to float andundulate in the air … greater vocalclarity and presence …”

If I heard Some Skunk Funk by Randy andMichael Brecker coming out of some doorwayat a trade show, I'd be sucked into that roomimmediately. Telarc's SACD makes full useof the center channel to deliver a tight liveperformance in 5.1 channels. The effect wasmost stunning on "And Then She Wept," aslow number with the massed brass of theWDR Big Band Köln floating the trumpet solo.The Studio 20 always had a winning way withbrass instruments singing, not stinging andthis new version is even better, with the samecomfortable feel but more detail. On "Levitate,"the brass section did indeed seem to float andundulate in the air. I had no trouble hearingLetterman bassist Will Lee coming out of the7-inch (178 mm) woofers.

Carlos Franzetti's Songs for Lovers frames hisbaritone with his own timeless orchestralarrangements the Buenos Aires born composerand arranger has also performed the latter

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function for the likes of Ruben Blades andPaquito D'Rivera. Chesky's CD was recordedin 96/24 PCM stereo, a departure from thecompany's recent involvement in multi-channel SACD. There are times when Chesky'sreverb-heavy approach doesn't work for me.With their recent stereo SACD of The World'sGreatest Audiophile Recordings, I had to checkto make sure the speakers weren't wired outof phase, but here the reverby sound clicks.It subtly enriches the voice, places it againstthe warm background of the City of PraguePhilharmonic, and perfectly integrates bothelements. The new Studio 20 achieved greatervocal clarity and presence without addingany sibilance or other unwanted artifacts.

PIRATES, SQUIRRELS, AND GANGSTASPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chesthas an amorphous Dolby Digital 5.1 sound-track that's at its best during ship-to-shipbattles. In one brief but magnificent moment,the sea swallows a ship with a huge glug.The hyperactive soundtrack—the orchestralequivalent to the story's frantic, trying-too-hard action sequences—sounds great whenmasses of bass drums accompany junglechase scenes. Even sans sub, those drumswere full of menace, and the center didn'tmiss a single drunken mumble of JohnnyDepp's Keith Richards impersonation.

“… agreeably raw and immediate… didn’t need a sub to punchthrough …”

I love that squirrel that showboats the openingscene of Ice Age: The Meltdown. He'd be wortha movie by himself. The panning effects thatfollow his pursuit of the acorn have alreadymade the Dolby Digital soundtrack a tradeshowdemo classic, and, with matched Studio 20'sacross all three front channels, the side-to-side motions were seamless. However, CEDIAand CES exhibitors should also use the ritualdance of the sloths, a chunk of 5.1-channelweirdness that recalls a similarly bizarre vocal-effects classic from Pink Floyd's Ummagumma,"Several Species of Small Furry AnimalsGathered Together in a Cave and Groovingwith a Pict." The falling ice masses thatpunctuate the whole movie could have hadmore very-low-bass impact with a sub but werenonetheless dramatically effective, thanks tothe strong bass response, which is rated downto 54 hertz, plus or minus 2 dB, both on andoff axis.

“… I found my new reference speaker… recommended for the discerninglistener with a limited budget …”

Idlewild features "music by Outkast," as theDVD packaging says in lettering bigger thanthe names of the stars. Andre Benjamin playsthe brothel pianist and composer who istrying not to drown in a violent, Darwinianworld. The music barely tips the hat to thestory's roaring-twenties setting, irreverentlyspanning the generations from Dixieland torap. Exuberant and stylish, it's one of the bestmovie soundtracks I've heard in years. Manyscenes feature a vamping jazz drummer who'smiked so that he sounds like he's a few feetbehind the singing and dialogue. Studio 20got this spatial detail right and gave the ridecymbal a gentle but realistic metallic hiss.

MARK'S NEW BABYThe new Paradigm Reference Studio 20occupies a sweet spot in the speaker market:the low end of the high end. If your onlyexperience with loudspeakers is the mass-market junk sold in many national chain stores,stepping up to the Paradigms will give you atrue taste of the high end—and you'll neverwant to go back. If you've already got themegabucks two-channel rig of your dreamsbut want something surround worthy for thefamily's home theater, you'll find value here.I've found my new reference speaker. And,when it gets back from the photo studio, Imay not bother to reinstall my subwoofer.Years of fun have just begun.

HT LABS MEASURES

Paradigm Reference Studio 20 Speaker SystemSensitivity: 88 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz

This graph shows the quasi-anechoic(employing close-miking of the woofer)frequency response of the Studio 20 (purpletrace). The passive loudspeaker was measuredwith its grille at a distance of 1 meter with a2.83-volt input.

The Studio 20's listening-window response(a five-point average of axial and +/-is-degreehorizontal and vertical responses) measures+1.82/-1.13 decibels from 200 hertz to 10 kHz.An average of axial and +/-15-degree hori-zontal responses measures +1.86/-1.30 dBfrom 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The -3-dB point isat 9 Hz, and the -6-dB point is at 47 Hz.Impedance reaches a minimum of 4.18 ohmsat 174 Hz and a phase angle of -41.77 degreesat 98 Hz.

BUILD QUALITY• Woofer upgraded from plastic to aluminum• Tweeter still aluminum, now gold-anodized• Thick aluminum chassis holds drivers

VALUE• High-end performance at a midrange price• Small rise in price over previous generations

is justified by improvements in materialsand performance

FEATURES• Large internal heatsink magnets• Butyl-rubber mounting decouples drivers

from box, thus reducing resonance

PERFORMANCE• New tweeter material and location help

clarify highs• Neutral midrange, both on and off axis• Enough bass to go sub-less

ERGONOMICS• Larger than average sub/sat set• Demands away-from-wall placement

for best results• Vinyl finishes

OVERALL RATINGSome manufacturers simply turn over theirmodel lines. Paradigm makes theirs better.This fourth-generation rethink of my referencespeaker uses better materials and deploys themmore creatively. Recommended for the dis-cerning listener with a limited budget.